Against the Background of Social Reality: Defaults, Commonplaces, and the Sociology of the Unmarked

This book explores the asymmetry between how we attend to culturally emphasized features of social reality and ignore the culturally unmarked ones, covering structures of cultural invisibility, unconscious rules, automatic frames, and collective attention patterns. It brings together scholarship from sociology, anthropology, and social psychology and appeals to scholars across the social sciences.

Format: Hardback
Length: 172 pages
Publication date: 07 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking volume delves into the intricate dynamics of unmarkedness and taken-for-grantedness, shedding light on the profound asymmetry between our attention to culturally significant aspects of social reality and our tendency to overlook the culturally unmarked. By exploring the structures of cultural invisibility, unconscious rules of irrelevance, automatic frames of meaning, and collective attention patterns, the book brings together a diverse range of scholarship from sociology, anthropology, and social psychology. It encompasses a wide array of humdrum, unglamorous, nondescript, and seemingly mundane social phenomena, unraveling the key assumptions, foundations, and implications of this emerging field of study. This comprehensive exploration will captivate scholars across the social sciences, particularly those with interests in social theory and the sociology of everyday life.

Introduction:
In our daily lives, we often encounter a multitude of social phenomena that go unnoticed or are taken for granted. These unremarked features of our social existence form the backdrop of our interactions and shape our understanding of the world. However, as this volume demonstrates, there is a significant gap between our attention to culturally emphasized aspects of social reality and our disregard for the culturally unmarked. This asymmetry highlights the complex dynamics and processes that govern our perception, interpretation, and interaction with the social world.
The Sociology of Unmarkedness and Taken-for-Grantedness:
This book represents the first comprehensive analysis of the sociology of unmarkedness and taken-for-grantedness. It delves into the underlying structures, mechanisms, and patterns that contribute to the invisibility and unremarkableness of certain aspects of social reality. By examining the cultural construction of invisibility, the book explores how certain aspects of social life are deemed unimportant, ignored, or overlooked, while others are given undue attention and significance. It also examines the unconscious rules of irrelevance that govern our attention and how they shape our perception of the world.
Automatic Frames of Meaning:
Another key aspect of the book is its exploration of automatic frames of meaning. These frames are the mental shortcuts and patterns that we use to interpret and understand the world around us. They are often culturally constructed and deeply ingrained, shaping our perception of social phenomena and influencing our behavior. The book examines how these frames operate, their implications, and how they contribute to the perpetuation of unmarkedness and taken-for-grantedness.
Collective Attention Patterns:
Collective attention patterns are also a central focus of the book. These patterns refer to the ways in which individuals and groups allocate their attention to different aspects of social reality. They are influenced by cultural norms, social hierarch.
In our daily lives, we often encounter a multitude of social phenomena that go unnoticed or are taken for granted. These unremarked features of our social existence form the backdrop of our interactions and shape our understanding of the world. However, as this volume demonstrates, there is a significant gap between our attention to culturally emphasized aspects of social reality and our disregard for the culturally unmarked. This asymmetry highlights the complex dynamics and processes that govern our perception, interpretation, and interaction with the social world.
The Sociology of Unmarkedness and Taken-for-Grantedness:
This book represents the first comprehensive analysis of the sociology of unmarkedness and taken-for-grantedness. It delves into the underlying structures, mechanisms, and patterns that contribute to the invisibility and unremarkableness of certain aspects of social reality. By examining the cultural construction of invisibility, the book explores how certain aspects of social life are deemed unimportant, ignored, or overlooked, while others are given undue attention and significance. It also examines the unconscious rules of irrelevance that govern our attention and how they shape our perception of the world.
Automatic Frames of Meaning:
Another key aspect of the book is its exploration of automatic frames of meaning. These frames are the mental shortcuts and patterns that we use to interpret and understand the world around us. They are often culturally constructed and deeply ingrained, shaping our perception of social phenomena and influencing our behavior. The book examines how these frames operate, their implications, and how they contribute to the perpetuation of unmarkedness and taken-for-grantedness.
Collective Attention Patterns:
Collective attention patterns are also a central focus of the book. These patterns refer to the ways in which individuals and groups allocate their attention to different aspects of social reality. They are influenced by cultural norms, social hierarch.
In our daily lives, we often encounter a multitude of social phenomena that go unnoticed or are taken for granted. These unremarked features of our social existence form the backdrop of our interactions and shape our understanding of the world. However, as this volume demonstrates, there is a significant gap between our attention to culturally emphasized aspects of social reality and our disregard for the culturally unmarked. This asymmetry highlights the complex dynamics and processes that govern our perception, interpretation, and interaction with the social world.
The Sociology of Unmarkedness and Taken-for-Grantedness:
This book represents the first comprehensive analysis of the sociology of unmarkedness and taken-for-grantedness. It delves into the underlying structures, mechanisms, and patterns that contribute to the invisibility and unremarkableness of certain aspects of social reality. By examining the cultural construction of invisibility, the book explores how certain aspects of social life are deemed unimportant, ignored, or overlooked, while others are given undue attention and significance. It also examines the unconscious rules of irrelevance that govern our attention and how they shape our perception of the world.
Automatic Frames of Meaning:
Another key aspect of the book is its exploration of automatic frames of meaning. These frames are the mental shortcuts and patterns that we use to interpret and understand the world around us. They are often culturally constructed and deeply ingrained, shaping our perception of social phenomena and influencing our behavior. The book examines how these frames operate, their implications, and how they contribute to the perpetuation of unmarkedness and taken-for-grantedness.
Collective Attention Patterns:
Collective attention patterns are also a central focus of the book. These patterns refer to the ways in which individuals and groups allocate their attention to different aspects of social reality. They are influenced by cultural norms, social.

Weight: 510g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367433574